A California man has officially been charged with attempted murder after critically injuring another man outside a home located in Escondido that is well-known for displaying American flags, pro-Trump messages, and other banners, local law enforcement officials have revealed. Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, the suspect in the brutal assault, is being held in the Vista Detention Facility located in San Diego County. The injured Trump suppored succumbed to his injuries and died on Sunday, May 24.
The incident began when police officers responded to the Escondido area around 2:15 p.m. on May 20, 2026, after receiving reports of a violent assault at the intersection of East Mission Avenue and Buchanan Street. Officers found an elderly man “suffering from significant injuries” and stated that a Good Samaritan who intervened in the situation had also been injured in the incident.
By the time police arrived on the scene, the suspect had fled on foot. However, officers later found him a half-mile away from the scene of the crime. Official records show that Butler lives just around the corner from the victim. Escondido police decided against releasing the name of the victim, who was hospitalized and labeled in critical condition. Public records show the individual who owns the property is 69-years-old.
According to a report from Fox News, reports of the attack reached Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), whose district includes parts of Escondido, who then called for a “full and immediate investigation.” Reports state that a few of the neighbors in the area have complained about the man’s displays of patriotism for years. Footage taken after the attack shows a man pointing to responding officers toward something and then gesturing as if someone was being kicked.
Law enforcement officials put evidence markers in the street and took photographs of the front of the man’s home, near a mailbox and parked pickup truck that featured two American flags set up over the truck bed. A few feet from the truck, another vehicle was spotted with its hood propped open. Another image snapped at the scene showed what looked like blood at the foot of the driveway located between the two vehicles.
Maria Sheron, wife of the murdered Trump supporter who had initially been hospitalized, confirmed in a statement to FOX 5/KUSI that her husband had died from his injuries on Sunday night. She said, “I feel a lot of pain in my heart.” She continued, “I’m feeling bad for the mother for the guy who do that because he ruined his life.” She then added, “I’m feeling bad for her, but the stuff he did to my husband is terrible.”
Jim Gillie, a neighbor of the murdered Trump supporter, said, “Kerry was a Trump supporter, but he was a patriot first, and he was a strong believer in freedom of speech, and when people would approach him and give him any guff over his opinions, he didn’t let it get under his skin; he would just say they’re entitled to free speech, just like I am.”
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Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video